ROGUE SHEPHERD: Wayward Hope: Rogue Shepherd Space Opera Series: BOOK 2, page 2
“I wish we had comms up Lady Hope. We could call for reinforcements, but we are silent. I do not understand what that small ship is doing trying to fight a frigate, but he might give us time. He could be a pirate for all I know and attack us when we are limping away," the Captain said and walked over to a view screen. "If we limp away.”
“Captain I don’t care about that small ship or limping away. If we are boarded and have to fight, I’ll fight too.”
The Captain could see the fear in her eyes, but her determination wouldn’t be diminished.
“All right, Lady Hope. If you’ll stay with me, my marines will protect you, if they can.” the Captain said. His comments were interrupted as the intercom barked from the lookouts.
“Captain this is the Aft lookout. Not sure if there were explosions on board the frigate or that small ship made a hit, but it seems if the frigate has lost a mast, maybe two and is disengaging. I repeat sir, she appears to be disengaging.”
The Captain pushed the intercom and acknowledged the report.
“Pull up the main view screens and give me maximum magnification,” the Captain ordered.
The view screen stuttered a moment and finally brought an image into view with a few scratches and crawls from the damaged system. The Gimti frigate had one mast shot off near the base, and another cut in half.
“What’s her status, Mr. Richards?”
Mr. Richards, the Executive Officer, scanned the frigate. “She’s definitely lost two of her main sails and will only be able to pursue on impulse power. Without her ion sails, she won’t catch us. That’s if we can get all of ours on line.”
“Then get to work on those sails Mr. Richards! And get as much distance as you can between us!” the Captain barked at his Executive Officer Richards.
The Exec Officer turned to take care of the order. The bridge was awash in red from the combat lights, and smoke from the damage. The Royal Bridge was heading away from the frigate on impulse power as best she could. All the while the Captain kept his eyes on the view screen although he wasn’t watching the frigate but the other ship.
“I wonder what their intentions are. El-Gibhor help us! Or, God help him! To take shots at a ship that size. Mr. Richards what ship is that?” the Captain asked.
“Our sensors are down right now Captain, we can't scan for anything at the moment other than knowing that there is a ship between us and that frigate, but it does seem she is closing in on us.” Mr. Richards replied.
“Wish we knew her intentions.”
“Whoever it is must have good intentions Captain,” Lady Hope said. Lady Hope walked to the edge of the bridge and stared at the view screen. Her eyes darting from the blink and scrawl of the damaged screen. The small ship appeared to be getting bigger in the viewer to everyone, but no one was sure if that was the screen’s magnification system or the ship was closing the distance. The screen continued to jump and flicker.
“Mr. Richards! Please give us an update on the sails!” The Captain’s patience was gone with his men and his ship.
“They should be on line any time Captain.”
“Get us out of here as soon as we can jump to light speed then.”
Mr. Richards barked off orders to engineering and navigation to make the jump to light speed as soon as the sails were on line. Moments later Mr. Richards yelled, “Scanners are up Captain. That ship is a ship of the Twelve Clans, she has a familiar look. It’s The Hornet’s Nest and…”
Mr. Richards never finished his sentence, The Royal Bridge made the jump to light speed and flashed out of sight.
Lady Hope looked at the Captain and the two of them both looked relieved. She walked over to the Captain and nodded, then headed back for her quarters.
“Hopefully we can make it to our destination with no further impediments Lady Hope,” the Captain said with pause.
“I hope we have another impediment Captain. I’d rather died here fighting Captain and I don’t want to get to married, even if for the peace of the Twelve Clans.”
Chapter 4
Luke had seen The Royal Bridge make the jump to light speed and immediately jumped to light speed himself when he knew they were safe. He walked around the ship making sure there wasn’t any major damage.
“The ships a mess! Will take me a day to clean it up, and if my brothers see it, I’ll never hear the end of it.”
He walked from one section to another. Comms. Navigation. Damage Control. Engineering. And then he checked his massive ion sails. No major damage to anything except some concussion damage to a sail.
“I can patch that when I get to the dock, but it won’t hurt if I don’t.”
The docks of Graco were a welcome sight to Luke as he docked his ship. He was glad for the opportunity to go around the entire exterior of the ship and look for any damage.
An old timer on the docks yelled at Luke as he made his inspection, “Looks like you were caught up in a bad ion storm son!”
“Something like that.”
“You need help with the repairs? I'll work by the hour." the old timer asked.
“No, sir. I don’t have time to fix it yet, and I’m got a back up sail in my holds. I’ve got to get out just as fast as I got here.”
Luke walked down the docks. Old dock hands like him would waste your time and money with tales of their youth, and everything they knew you were doing wrong.
“But I can…” the old man’s voice trailed off in the distance.
Luke made his way to the Supply Depot’s Office and presented his paperwork for passage through the sector and to give information of what he was carrying on board The Hornet's Nest.
The Officer in charge wasn’t much older than himself he noticed.
How can someone a few years older have this position, and I’m still running errands?
“Your ship still as fast as they say Captain Shepherd?” the Officer asked.
Luke didn’t answer or respond but kept his head down murmuring under his breath.
“Captain Shepherd. I’m talking to you!” the Officer barked.
Only on the second call for Captain Shepherd did Luke realize the Officer was talking to him.
“Sorry sir, I missed that. Lost in thought.”
“I asked if your ship was still as fast as they say?”
“She is and maybe a little more, but she’s small and not considered much of a ship to some.”
“Coffee?” the Officer asked.
“I’d like that,” Luke answered.
The Supply Office was a basic disarray of military business and needs all thrown together in one small shack. Stacks of papers and electronic bills of lading and supply sheets. Boards on every wall working to keep track of all the supplies heading in and out of Graco.
The Officer motioned for Luke to come around the counter and take a seat at his desk. The Officer’s desk was organized chaos, but that could be expected with the Twelve Clans and the Gimtis being at war. Luke had been in here often enough over the last few months to know that stacks that looked disorganized were piles of known information to those who’d placed them there.
“Man I envy you, Captain,” the Officer said blowing the steam off of his cup.
The sound of someone calling him Captain still seemed strange to Luke. “Where’s the other guy that's usually in here?”
“Sent him home. I’m in charge now.”
“Home?”
“Yeah his sons were killed in a Gimti raid and he was released to go home and take care of his wife, and their settlement. You can only ask so much from a family. Losing three sons is too much, and after that, he wasn’t much use here. Sad.”
Luke sipped his coffee and for the first time wondered if his brothers would be alive when he dropped off the supplies. “How long have you been here sir?” Luke asked.
“Captain, you can call me Carl. I’m First Lieutenant Carl Benson, and I’ve been here all of three days. This office is killing me Captain. Look at the mess. He left it in a shambles.”
“You’ll get it in order and you can call me Luke," Luke said with an out stretched hand.
Carl reached over the desk and grabbed Luke's hand. “Ok Luke. I hope so. Hope we don’t get over run and attacked. Most of our forces are in the staging area where you are headed. Getting ready for something big. I envy you Luke. We aren’t that much different in age and to be the Captain of your own ship. I just…”
The thought made Luke smile. “We’ll she isn’t much, but she is fast.”
“How big is your crew? Four? Six?”
“No Carl, it’s just me," Luke said nearly spitting coffee out. "Been that way since all my brothers went in the army. It can be a challenge to get it all done by myself, but mostly the crew is for loading and unloading anyway, unless you get in a fight and then one or two more would be great.” Luke’s mind raced back to the shots he’d just made at a Gimti frigate and had lived to tell about it.
“I envy you Luke. Captain of a ship! I had to go into the service. Family gone. No land. Nothing… so the service is my family, and here I am.”
“Well next time I’m here, if it’s quiet we’ll go out. You can join me anytime on board.” Luke said with a chuckle.
“What are you laughing at Luke?”
“Never has anyone ever called me Captain.”
“Well you are! You are the one in control of that ship. Hold on for a moment," Carl said. He opened up a desk drawer and pulled out the military rank of a Captain. He walked over and pinned them to the collar of Luke. "Well no one will misunderstand your rank now." Carl smiled at Luke. "What’s your ship's name?”
Luke said, “The Hornet’s Nest.”
“Good name," Carl said and he sat back down behind his desk. "Let me know when you are here anytime."
"I sure will. Nice to meet you, Lieut... I mean Carl. Next time I’ll take you out on The Hornet’s Nest.”
Luke put his coffee cup down and gathered his papers. The two young men shook hands and exchanged radio identifiers.
“See you in a couple of days Captain,” the Officer saluted him casually.
“See you Lieutenant.”
Luke headed back towards the docks. When he arrived at his ship, he was shocked to find The Hornet’s Nest hooked up to three barges. Several dock hands were just finishing with the magnetic ropes and lashings.
“Captain Shepherd, we’ve got you ready to leave port when you are ready.”
“Thank you but I never remember having this done for me at Graco.”
“It’s that new guy Benson,” the dock hand snorted. “Been here all of maybe three days and he acts like this is the front lines for the General. Makes us call all you ship drivers, Captain…”
Luke interrupted him, “That’s Lieutenant Benson to you, and its Captain Shepherd for me. Now get those lines ready for me to cast off, and jump off my ship before I leave the dock.” Luke’s voice had a bark in it he’d never used.
If Carl can be in charge of this place, then I can be a Captain!
“Yes sir,” the dock man replied and got to work.
Luke walked to his bridge and scanned the control panels one by one. His ship was refueled, and loaded with cargo, and he had three barges tied behind The Hornet’s Nest. He grabbed the intercom, “Ready to shove off. Thanks and jump off, I’ve got it from here. Captain Shepherd out.”
The thought of addressing himself in the third person made him grin. He grinned again after checking his communication read out.
- - - Nice to meet you Captain. Looking forward to the ride next time.
- - - Lt. Benson
- - - Carl
Chapter 5
The thrusters fired in the atmosphere of the planet Terebinth to put The Hornet’s Nest in orbit. Terebinth was a medium-sized planet with a fifty-fifty mixture of water and land, but no major life forms other than animal life. The animal life was mostly in the oceans as they weren’t affected by the continuing wars of the Twelve Clans and the other galactic nations.
Wars are fought for territory. Wars are fought for a people to exist. But this ongoing war was fought because of the prejudice against the Twelve Clans and for the mineral and trade routes they possessed.
The alarm went off for Luke to come to the bridge. It was time for the auto-pilot to be turned off and for him to manually land The Hornet’s Nest. After leaving Graco, he cleaned the ship up and put everything back in order. There was no reason to give his brothers any ammunition to mock him.
The ship was cleaner than it had been in recent memory he guessed. He updated his logs with his stops and even a brief description of his encounter with The Royal Bridge and the Gimti frigate. It was part of the requirements of a ship captain although he never thought much of it. Besides, who’d believe a two ion sling ship could match wits with a Gimti frigate.
Air traffic control had given him clearance to land at the dock. The Hornet’s Nest was agile enough that he could have landed closer to where his brothers were stationed but with the three barges attached to his ship, he’d get the benefit of better amenities for his ship and the work of soldiers to unload and tend his ship. Luke was thankful for this trade off of landing at the military port with having to walk to the distance to deliver the supplies to his brother.
The Hornet’s Nest’s pulsers fired as Luke piloted the ship into the dock. The dock tenders were ready for The Hornet’s Nest’s tie down lines as he brought the train of barges to a gentle landing. When he saw his ship was secure, he powered the engines down and met the man standing on the dock.
“Captain. We’ll get right to work on unloading the barges so you can get on your way. If you have the papers for the barges, we’ll get right to work. My name is Lt. Carter.”
Called Captain! Twice in one trip.
“Thanks Lieutenant. The paperwork is inside. I have some supplies on my ship to deliver to my brothers at the main base.”
“We can take care of that for you. Johnson. Hernandez,” the dock officer shouted.
Right away two men younger than Luke ran up to the ship and stood at attention.
“If you’ll show these men exactly what to deliver and the names of the soldiers, I’ll have these men deliver it on a hover cart,” Lt. Carter said.
“I’ve never been given this treatment Lieutenant. Thanks so much. I’ll still go with them.”
“That’s fine by me. We want to take care of you. If you need anything before you depart let me know Captain.” Lt. Carter saluted Luke and walked away.
Luke gave a half-hearted salute back to the Lieutenant. It's common knowledge in the galaxy that no matter what the size of a ship, the one in command is the Captain. Even for a small ship like The Hornet’s Nest the one in command is the Captain. The truth didn't seem right to Luke.
My brothers will never believe this or let me live this down.
Lieutenant Carter began yelling at a squad of soldiers who worked like ants with efficiency to unload the barges. Hover lifts and pulsar cranes moved into position and the cargo of food, ammunition, and medical supplies were taken off and categorized.
Luke went back on board and walked through his ship, making sure everything was powered down. He left his log book in the holder in case the dock officer needed it which was customary in military installations. He remembered the first and only time he hadn’t done that and the cussing out he’d received. He’d shown the men where the supplies were that needed to be taken to his brothers and scheduled to meet them at the base cafeteria.
“I’ve got a stop to make before going to my brothers but I won’t be long,” he told the two men.
The two men snapped to attention, saluted, and shouted, “Yes sir.”
Luke again gave a lazy salute to them and headed to the temple. Luke Shepherd was the most devout of his brothers, and before he did anything else, he wanted to thank El-Gibhor for delivering him from that Gimti frigate.
Believing that God directs your steps is something everyone in the Twelve Clans says they believe. But many say they believe one thing and never live with that conviction, and others hold that belief dear and honor that conviction. Luke was the second.
Every base had a temple to El-Gibhor; the one true God of the Universe as the Twelve Clans held dear. Not only was it the custom to have a Temple at every settlement and base, but it was also the law and the first structure to be built even if it was only a tent erected as a temple. And it was the easiest building or tent to find as it always had the tallest spire of all buildings.
Luke headed towards the spire of the Temple and ran through his mind of what his story would be to his brothers. The fight against the frigate and having to carry the three barges had made him later than his father would desire or his brothers expected. Some things couldn’t be helped.
The temple was always open, and by command always had a priest on site although you rarely saw one in the temple unless it was during services. Candles were the only light allowed in the temples as a means to remind each person that the only light that is everlasting is the light of El-Gibhor, and it isn’t a light made by the hands of man as it burned. Luke always wondered who provided the candles for the temples as they were the only places you ever saw them in use.
The smell of every temple, even the temples of renown, had the same smell of smoke and wax. Upon entering the temple, Luke prayed the prayer of consecration at the doorway, and headed for the altar area as was custom. He knelt down at the altar on the side opposite of the only other person in the temple. He closed his eyes and began the prayers of thanksgiving and protection that his father had taught him, and his father’s father had taught his father.
